Agility is a key prerequisite of athletes competing in most, if not all, sports. One means of sharpening one's agility is the training ladder. As its name suggests, in its most basic form, the training ladder is simply a ladder-like matrix of spaces laid out on the ground for an athlete to run through. Unlike ladders for climbing, the training ladder is usually, although not always, defined by a series of ropes or other flexible members connected together to define a two-dimensional matrix of spaces for the athlete to run through. Typically, the athlete attempts to run through the matrix as fast as possible without fouling the ropes defining the spaces. Agility is sharpened by running the course at increasing speeds.
Traditional training ladders do have several drawbacks. Firstly, such ladders to not teach patterns to the user, as the athlete must be shown each individual pattern to be run and memorize the same in order to later practice the pattern. Consequently, rope ladders cannot be used to challenge an athlete's reflexes by varying the run pattern in real time. Thus, athletes training on a traditional training ladder may develop muscle memory for a specific course that does not translate into more generalized agility. Likewise, developing speed for a single, defined set of movements will not, past a certain point, translate into increasing agility for other sets of movements.
Also, athletes attempting to increase their speed on an agility-training course require a second party to time them. It is a practical impossibility for an athlete to concentrate on timing themselves, even with the aid of a stopwatch, while trying to focus on shaving time measured in the tenths of seconds from a previous best time.
Further, athletes running a rope-based training ladder often misstep and catch one of the ropes with their feet. When this happens, the rope ladder is often pulled and distorted, requiring the athlete to stop and relay the training ladder. Also, rope ladders tend to become tangled during storage, requiring time and effort to sort out prior to deployment. This tangling tendency also makes rope ladders more difficult to transport. Further, the propensity for an athlete to catch his foot on the rope ladder constitutes an unnecessary tripping and falling hazard. Moreover, current ladders cannot communicate with one another and track all scores on a central device, so a team must use one ladder at a time. All team members must memorize individual scores as they go along.
In addition, it is difficult to ascertain when an athlete missteps when running a rope ladder, unless the athlete actually becomes entangled therein. Errors made when running rope ladders must be observed, thus requiring a third party observer to accurately view and record errors. Also, rope ladders do not provide feedback regarding run speed o and/or accuracy; a third party observer is likewise required to provide them. Finally, rope ladders cannot be used in the dark.
Thus, there is a need for an agility training mechanism that teaches patterns to the user, provides a visual aid, communicates with other devices and records results, does not require a second party for timing, feedback and/or error reporting, and is not easily fouled and distorted and/or does not present a tripping hazard. The present technology addresses these needs.